Born in a musical background, stunning Rwandan beauty and vocalist Nicole Musoni may not look familiar to you. However, she is slowly turning heads in Canada with her staggering potential. Musoni does not merely sing songs, but drones them from her soul. But behind the facade, there is still much more to this songstress.
In an exclusive interview with IGIHE.com, this hitherto unknown musical talent takes us behind the scenes and tells us her history, inspiration and ambitions whilst illuminating her ingenuously remarkable persona.
Raised in a family of musicians, her father was a well-known local artist, a role that perhaps led to her musical inclination. “My parents were a big influence on me as I grew up. Both played a major part in my passion for art such as music and dancing. My father was a well known artist in Rwanda and would teach me songs he wrote and also have me sing them along as a child. When I was two years old, I hit the stage for the first time with my father at Odeon Palace in Bujumbura. As for my mother, she would teach others traditional Rwandese dances and I would join along at times.”
She drew her musical inspiration from such musical divas as Celine Dion. From an early age, she possessed a deep passion for music and never had stage fright. She has been performing since she was eight with her first appearance at an elementary school concert.
The musical path she embarked on led her to participate in various talent shows. One outstanding experience involved taking part in the “Star Academie” a widely known reality TV series in Canada. “The experience was amazing. It helped me build confidence, gave me an idea of how the music industry works.” During this nationwide event, she was among 50 finalists out of more than 7,000 participants, a remarkable feat that can perhaps be attributed to her unique talent. Since then, life’s been but a dream with amazing music. A renaissance darling who can’t be stopped, her melodic blend of R&B and soul will leave you breathless.
Despite considerable highs in her musical career, she has faced quite some holdups . “I have at times being turned down because I was not skinny enough. Also when I was younger, I remember being taken advantage of by producers that just want to scam, sell you dreams with promises they don’t keep.”
A singer and songwriter, Musoni plans to release an album in the near future as well as grow her fan base here in Rwanda. “I definitely plan on coming back to Rwanda to perform. It has always been a dream for me. I love my country a lot and I am proud of where I came from.” “I wish to positively express love and strength through my music”.
Off the stage, Nicole works as Customer Relations Coordinator at Td Canada Trust Bank, a position that has provided her with many opportunities to rally round people. She is presently involved with many charitable organisations to raise money for breast cancer, HIV/AIDS among other illnesses. The selflessness and willingness to help out those in need are one of the attributes that truly define her.
Outside her musical career, her life-size dream and ambition is to contribute and serve her home country. Despite being a Rwandan in the Diaspora, Nicole has a profound love and connection to Rwanda. She mentions that one of her biggest inspirations has been the Imbuto Foundation and expresses her deep desire to one day be part of it.
“The Imbuto Foundation has done many projects helping the Rwandese community in many ways such as contributing to the education of the youth, the economy, and health particularly HIV/AIDS which is a major problem in a lot of African countries. Being a part of a foundation of such influence and experience would be an honour for me to learn and help in any way possible.”
Nicole not only portrays the features of a true musical diva with her charm and talent but carries with her a powerful vision. The drive and motivation to reach out to people and empower them is singularly stirring .
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